Blend flavors for tasty holiday treats

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smcclanahan

This will be my last chance to be with you all before Christmas and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a very enjoyable holiday. It is also my wish that the true meaning of Christmas will be with you now and throughout the coming year. God bless you all.

Imagine the gifts the kings or wise men came with to offer to the baby Jesus; colored with orange and red and smelling so good. This next recipe has much of the same to offer; pretty colors and smells out of this world.

Gift of the Magi Bread

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas

1 cup flake coconut

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

2 to 3 cups chopped pecans or almonds

1/2 cup dried figs or dates

1/2 cup maraschino cherries

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with bananas. Stir in oranges, coconut, nuts, cherries and figs. Pour into two greased loaf pans, 7-1/2 x 3-3/4 inches. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours or till done when tested. When cool, dust with powdered sugar. Yields two loaves. Wrap each loaf in foil when completely cooled and wait 24 hours before cutting and serving, for best results. This bread also freezes very well.

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Jodi Thompson of Jackson, Mo., shares one of my favorite holiday treats. It is so rich and so festive. I do use pecans, though, as I like the flavor better. I understand it is one of Jodi's favorites, too. She has also added a few of her person comments into the recipe, as you will see. It is a help to have hints from someone who makes a recipe frequently.

Baklava

1 pound phyllo dough sheets

1 pound sweet butter

3 cups walnuts chopped, as you wish

1 1/2 cups almonds, chopped, as above

6 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix nuts, sugar, and spices by rubbing with fingers. Add melted butter. I use an 11x17-inch pan but it can be put together any way you want. Butter pan with pastry brush. Layer phyllo in, brush with butter, (I like to sprinkle canned commercial breadcrumbs here, you can use fine toast crumbs, I think it helps to keep the layers a bit separated). Sprinkle in nut mixture and repeat layering (3-6 layers of phyllo) and nut mixture twice. Cover last layer of nuts with 8 to 12 layers of phyllo brushing each with butter and sprinkle of crumbs. Butter top layer; cut through top layers of filo only, into diamond shaped pieces with sharp knife. Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour or until golden brown. Remove from oven and pour the cooled syrup over hot baklava. Allow to soak in for at least six hours before cutting all the way through.

For the syrup:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1/2 stick cinnamon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup honey

Boil water, sugar and cinnamon approximately 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and remove from heat. Add honey and stir. Cool completely. Pour syrup over hot baklava to your taste. If desired, use less syrup.

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Brenda Webb from McClure, Ill., shares a recipe that is good to help use up the leftover turkey following Christmas dinner. You can also use chicken if turkey is not available and the leftover gravy makes the dish extra tasty.

Turkey and Stuffing Pie

For the crust:

1 (8 ounce) box herb-seasoned stuffing mix croutons

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

Mix all together and press into a large baking dish.

For the filling:

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 can or 1 cup chicken or turkey gravy

3 cups cubed turkey or chicken, cooked

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

American cheese slices

Drain mushrooms, reserve liquids and mix with flour. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter. Add to all remainder of filling ingredients; including flour mixture. Spread over crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut cheese into triangles and arrange on top for last five minutes of baking.

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Kathy Blevins of Cape Girardeau shares a cheese ball recipe that was a big hit at her Investment Club Christmas party. She said everyone requested that it be printed in the paper so they could all enjoy it. Since pecans had a bumper crop this year this is a great time to give this recipe a try.

Pecan Cheese Log/Ball

2 cups pecans

1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple

2 tablespoons minced onion

1/4 cup chopped green and red bell peppers

Dash salt

1 jar red pimientos, for garnish, if desired

Chop pecans in food processor until fine but not mushy. Add cream cheese and pineapple and process 15 to 30 seconds. Add onion, pepper, and salt and process a few seconds until mixed. Shape on waxed paper, wrap, and chill 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Shape into a ball, candy cane or other shape. Use pimiento for garnish for stripes if you shape into a candy cane.

She sprayed a small stainless steel mixing bowl with non-stick spray and dusted with chives. You could also use parsley or paprika, too. Turn mixture into the bowl and chill. Turn out onto a bed of lettuce and surround with assorted crackers.

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Mrs. Mary Popp of Cape Girardeau would like to have a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake. Although I was unable to locate the recipe printed in the Southeast Missourian many years ago, I hope this one will be an acceptable substitute.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

3 packages cream cheese at room temperature

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 ounces graham cracker crumbs

4 ounces melted butter

Filling:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir cream cheese with paddle attachment in a mixer. Incorporate remaining ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

Crust:

In a medium size bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and butter together. Spread mixture evenly in the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. Let rest in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. Pour filling into crust. Bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes or until toothpick pulls out clean.

I hope these recipe add to the joy of your holiday. Have a wonderful time and happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.